US SecDef Robert Gates gave a clear demonstration today in what not to say to your wartime allies.
In an interview, Gates accused NATO combat allies in Afghanistan like Britain, Canada and the Netherlands of lacking experience in counter-insurgency warfare and that "failure in the south' was contributing to the rising violence in the waragainst the Taleban.
"I’m worried we’re deploying [military advisers] that are not properly trained, and I’m worried we have some military forces that don’t know how to do counter-insurgency operations."
The Dutch in particular were incensed at the comments, which they took as a direct criticism and actually summoned the US ambassador in The Hague to explain Gates’s comments.
Both the Brits and the Canadians likewise contacted the Pentagon and asked for an explanation, which they claim to be satisfied with.
Considering that these countries are some of the only NATO countries that even allow their troops to be used in combat, and considering how well they've performed overall,I think a bit of diplomacy and fence mending was definitely in order.
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Robert Gates seems to be a man who lacks common sense. He seemst oo be like the President and so many in his Administration in this basic lacking of common sense. If he has a problem with how the British, the Dutch, or the Canadians are fighting, he should have addresed this privately at the appropiate levels of their governments. As Freedom Fighter correctly points out, these are some of the only NATO countries who will allow their trrops to fight in combat.
Publically these people should be praised and thanked profusely for the invaluable help they are giving us. Soemtimes critiscims may be warranted but it should be done privately. I can understand why these people are livid. I cerainly would be. In fact, I'm sure they probably have some complaints with how we are doing some things but I would hope they would have the decency to address such issues privately and not in the media.
Mr. Gates should have addressed this privately with the appropiate officials within allied governments. With this idiotic diplomacy it is going to be even harder to get other NATO countries to actually fight.
as the overwhelming majority of the populations of europe do not view Afghanistan as any threat to anything/body, they want their forces out of Afghanistan, and want to ignore the 5th protocal of the NATO charter..........just what fence would that be that needs mending?????
"as the overwhelming majority of the population of europe do not view Afghanistan as a threat to anybody, they want their forces out of Afghanistan..." The majority of Europeans are wrong. They were wrong about Hitler when they tried to appeas him and Nazi Germany and they are wrong now. They are more wrong now than they were in the 1930s. Hitler, the Nazis, and their allies could inflict allot of damage on Europe and they did but they had no real chance of actually conquering the continent. This is not the case with Al Qaeda, their Islamic terrorists allies, and the chief backers of Islamic terrorists who are Russia and China. The Islamo-Communist alliance has a real chance to take over all of Europe. Afghanistan is part of a threat to Western Europe that is far greater than the threat that Nazi Germany ever was or likely ever could have been.
As for the 5th protocoal of the NATO charter, had Mr. Gates wished to insult countries who are not allowing their troops to actually fight this might have been acceptable. The Dutch, the British, and the Canadians seem to be actually fighting along side us.
Al Qaeda and Afghanistan pose a far greater threat to the US than Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan ever did or likely ever could have. If the US will mobilize for war and devote its resources to the war effort the way we did during WWII, we may be able to get enough troops to do the jobs in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere without the Europeans.
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